Leopard toad breeding season is in full swing and the western leopard toads are moving from Zeekoevlei, Peninsula Road, across to Rondelvlei Nature Reserve.
Image by Jeremy Shelton via Cape Etc
Motorists are urged to slow down, watch for temporary signage and take extra care at night while volunteers guide animals to safety, reports Cape {town} Etc.
The Nature Connect underpass project, run with the City’s Biodiversity Management support, installed concrete travel tunnels and guiding fences along Peninsula Road to allow toads to move beneath the road rather than across it. The structures reduce the risk of road fatalities during the annual migration (Cape Town Green Map).
Project partners include:
Leisure Charitable Trust; Foundation Ensemble, Forvia Foundation and the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund.
Volunteer monitoring and City information show that toads are using the underpasses and that recorded road deaths have fallen on the monitored stretch since the tunnels were installed. That monitoring data supported additional project funding and further installations (speciesconservation.org).
Project partners describe the initiative as an important pilot for amphibian underpasses in South Africa. Teams will continue structured monitoring through each breeding season to measure long-term effectiveness and to inform similar measures elsewhere (speciesconservation.org).
Residents can help by obeying reduced speed limits in marked areas, reporting injured animals to local coordinators and supporting volunteer night patrols at known hotspots. Continued community involvement and City support remain central to the project’s success.
Article shared by Cape Town ETC
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